Not at all. They are not a specialized institution. And they don't have LSE's low satisfaction scores.

The ranking is favored towards Britain anyway. Have a gander at the so-called international outlook criteria. And how Oxbridge fare compared to the US top unis (who have a much, much larger pool of home grown talent than England).

(Original post by Tony S)
When I look at the snobs; bullies; ignorant, conceited rich-kids; and personifications of pure arrogance that Oxford University has, by way of the Tory party, put into British Government over the last 40 years, I do not see much to commend the place.

I'd actually rather like to see the place removed from the British academic map. It served a purpose only up until Cambridge was founded, and precious little after real universities like UCL, founded on academic principle rather than wealth and religious bigotry.

Oxford: beautiful city, but the university has had its day. A LONG time ago.

So we should get rid of anyone that disagrees with you or your way of seeing things. What concerns me much more then some stuck up rich kids is this Stalinist mentality emerging on the left wing. I am surprised others just cannot see how dangerous this is.

(Original post by Magic Streets)
Most Tory MPs have not gone to Oxford, and some that have gone there don't even become ministers.There is more to it than that. John Major didn't go to university.

Oxford isn't the best in the World, as that would be impossible to quantify objectively. But 1st place in the THE World ranking is great marketing fodder.

Tbf, Ox PPE is pretty solidly represented across all three main parties in terms of senior posts over the years, but that's kind of inevitable in a way - people with the drive and interest to want to do that have tended to go into the course and also it gives students the kind of background to go after that career as a choice.

There are criticisms of PPE and also the way things are taught generally at Oxford (the usual one is the triumph of arguing any side to win, avoiding commitment to ethics or values - the same could be said of legal training - and for PPE that it promotes generalists over people with real skilled knowledge) but as it is seen as one of the premier educational establishments in the world (currently #1 - sorry, couldn't resist), it will inevitably continue to promote people into the higher levels of big organisations, including political parties.

However, I don't think it's fair to blame Oxford or PPE for Tory values or the way Tory governments act. We could look at other things like the ideological basis of their thinking, the motives they have - looking after the interests of all those offshored corporations and hedge funds is unlikely to make the people who do it into nice, caring individuals - and the ways that the Conservative Party acts as a focus for defending laissez-faire liberal capitalism in Britain and all the corruption and exploitation that goes with it.

(Original post by Fullofsurprises)
the ways that the Conservative Party acts as a focus for defending laissez-faire liberal capitalism in Britain and all the corruption and exploitation that goes with it.

The Tories want to spend £80bn on HS2, £20bn on Hinckley Point, £32bn on Crossrail Two, and £18bn on Heathrow. Hardly "Laissez-Faire".

(Original post by Josb)
The Tories want to spend £80bn on HS2, £20bn on Hinckley Point, £32bn on Crossrail Two, and £18bn on Heathrow. Hardly "Laissez-Faire".

Yes, but who are they spending it with? And what has gone on behind the scenes?

Anyway, of course I'm not saying there is no public spending left and no doubt May (Oxon: Geography) has a slightly different attitude towards it than Osborne (Oxon: History), but we will see as time passes if Philip Hammond (Oxon: PPE) is of the same mind.